Television digest and FM reports (Jan-Dec 1946)

caat hours). Class A stations will not be assigned to principal cities; however, 10 such channels will be available for such cities having less than 6 FM stations (for present, FCC will not assign this type station to metropolitan cities where there are at least 4 Standard broadcast stations operating) . Class B stations combine old Metropolitan and Rural classifications, and will be assured protection in all sections of country to 1,000 uv/m contour. Power for Class B stations in Area I may start at 10 kw and 300 ft and go up to 20 kw and 500 ft. In major cities, v/ith 250,000 population or more. Class B stations must put out at least 20 kw with 350 ft antenna height. Area II Class B stations can have minimum of 2 kw and 300 ft up to maximum of 20 kw and 500 ft. Exceptions for higher powers will be granted upon proper showings. Channels No. 221 to 280 are allocated for Class B stations and the current allocation plan stands. Added to areas contiguous to Area I, for which applications will be given "careful study," are Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Engineering standards are also amended to conform to Rules changes. Non-commercial educational FM stations Nos. 201-220) are not affected. mim TV SAmiVS CO.NVSKTS: Growing affinity between Westinghouse and CBS in matter of uhf color TV is being bolstered by former's Stratovision tests (Vol. 1, No. 1; Vol. 2, No. 21) revealing that ultra-high frequencies have excellent propagation characteristics when broadcast from "skyhook" transmitter. CBS not only has ordered some of its color equipment from Westinghouse, but its engineers have been eyeing Stratovision experiments closely. And Westinghouse ' s V/alter Evans is a confirmed believer in uhf color TV, though confesses he is not sure of its timing. The timing factor, of course, is nub of whole low vs. high band argument. Top echelons of both Westinghouse and General Electric, which fathered RCA and NBC, owned those companies along with AT&T until forced to separate by Government decree, have been evincing intense interest in CBS's color. They make no bones about fact they have been deeply impressed by what they were shown — demonstrations v;hich RCA's Sarnoff and NBC's Trammell, though invited, have never seen though many of their engineering and other executives have. One big company's highest executives, after a recent private showing, put CBS's Chairman Bill Paley through the stiffest kind of quiz, came away convinced of his complete sincerity if not yet entirely sold on optimistic CBS claims of immediacy. No one has ever questioned the intense sincerity of CBS's research chief and color TV inventor. Dr. Peter Goldmark. Westinghouse explains its withdrawal of Pittsburgh low-band TV application (Vol. 2, No. 21) as due to fact that coaxial cable (hence network programs) is still some years away from that city. Present plans do not call for dropping its Boston and Philadelphia TV applications because, it is explained, the coaxial renders netv/ork service feasible and the company wants to hook up with NBC in TV just as its AlA stations do in standard broadcasting. In other words, though leaning toward color, V/estinghouse isn't letting itself be counted out of monochrome and promises to build low-band if granted CPs. Meanwhile, the 60 custom-built color TV receivers which GE has made to order for CBS (at prices reputed to be far out of reach for public sale) are said to be ready for delivery, presumably will soon be placed around New York City. Meanv/hile, too, CBS is still operating its low-band monochrome WCBW on regular schedule — evoking frequent chiding, to which its reply is that it is retaining its lowband station to study program techniques and viewer reactions. But as a prelude to every night's telecasts on WCBW, it broadcasts this not too thinly-veiled statement: "Good evening! We hope you enjoy our program. The Columbia Broadcasting System, hov/ever, is not engaged in the manufacture of television receiving sets, and does not want you to consider these broadcasts as inducement to purchase television sets at this time. Because of a number of conditions,' we cannot predict how long ohis television broadcasting schedule will continue."